International Women's Week: THE LADIES OF GUESS WHO!!

[Amadine]

1. Joan of Arc 1412-1431

 

The patron saint of France, Joan of Arc received “heavenly visions” giving her the inspiration to lead the French in revolt against the occupation of the English. An unlikely heroine; at the age of just 17 the diminutive Joan successfully led the French to victory at Orleans. Her later trial and martyrdom on false premises only heightened her mystique.

 

Joan of Arc Biography

 

 

"One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying." - Joan of Arc

 

Joan of Arc was born in 1412 Domremy, France. Legend says that she was born to auspicious signs held to be a forecast of national triumph. However, what is more certain is that her family were poor and her region had suffered from the long conflict between England and France.

 

From an early age Joan of Arc displayed a sensitive and religious temperament. It is said by friends that:

“She was greatly committed to the service of God and the Blessed Mary.” (1)

 

From the age of 12 she began to have mystical visions. In these visions she said she felt the voice of God commanding her to renew the French nation. At her later trial Joan of Arc said she felt these visions were as real seeing another person. The visions were often accompanied by light and the presence of saints such as St Michael and St Catherine.

 

"I was thirteen when I had a Voice from God for my help and guidance. The first time that I heard this Voice, I was very much frightened; it was mid-day, in the summer, in my father's garden. ” - Joan of Arc from her trial transcript. (2)

 

These visions made Joan of Arc even more religiously inclined. She would frequently go to confession and, it is said that, whenever she heard the bells for Mass she would immediately drop her work and run to church.

 

Initially Joan did not tell others about her visions and inner commandments but in May 1428 the divine messages urged her to seek an audience with Charles de Ponthieu currently an ineffective and relatively weak leader of the French.

 

At the time of Joan’s childhood, France was seriously divided with a lack of national unity. In 1415 King Henry V of England had invaded France and defeated the French army at Agincourt. This famous victory over the French nobility left the country weak and divided. The main divisions were between the Dauphins and English supporting Burgundians.

 

Under Charles de Ponthieu the French were without direction and without a real leader. When Joan of Arc came to the court she overwhelmed Charles with her passion and conviction. It is quite remarkable that this 17 year old peasant girl was, as a consequence, given control over an army and allowed to lead them into battle. Within a year Joan of Arc had led the French army to victories at Orleans, Patay and Troyes. Many other towns were also liberated from English control and it allowed a triumphal entry into Dauphin for the coronation of King Charles VII on 17 July 1929.

 

For her exploits and leadership Joan of Arc and her family were granted noble status. She has also won the hearts of the French soldiers who looked up to Joan as an almost mythical leader. However a year later Joan was captured by the Burgundian forces at Compiegne and sold to the English. Her trial is well documented and provides a revealing insight into her character and destiny.

 

The English and members of the French clergy decided to put her on trial for witchcraft. In many ways it was a show trial with the result cleverly orchestrated. The leading clergy member was Pierre Cauchon was a staunch supporter of the British and hated Joan of Arc for her miraculous revival of French national pride. However, another interpretation is that he genuinely felt obliged to save Joan's Immortal soul from damnation for the claims she was making.

 

The trial was a very testing experience for Joan. Initially the trial was held in public, but, her responses were much sharper than her prosecutors expected. She held her own and produced some strong rebuts, which gained her public sympathy. For example, the prosecution tried very hard to get her to blaspheme. She was asked:

Question at Trial: "Do you know if you are in the grace of God?"

 

"If I am not, may God place me there; if I am, may God so keep me. I should be the saddest in all the world if I knew that I were not in the grace of God. But if I were in a state of sin, do you think the Voice would come to me? " - Joan of Arc  (2)

 

Eventually, the trial was continued behind closed doors. It appears Joan was threatened with torture, but, she wasn't actually tortured. As expected, Joan was found guilty and condemned to death by burning at the stake. Faced with such an overwhelming ordeal Joan broke down and confessed.

 

However a week later she regained her strength and recanted her confession. She was able to face her ordeal with dignity. It is said that over 10,000 people came to see her execution by burning. Her ashes were scattered in the Seine. One legend tells how her heart remained unaffected by the fire.

 

26 years later the English were finally driven from Rouen and in a later inquest she was declared to be officially innocent and was officially designated to be a martyr. She was canonized a saint in 1920 and remains the patron saint of France.

 

Joan of Arc achieved a remarkable achievement in her short life of 19 years. In particular she embodied religious devotion with great bravery and humility, her life helped change the course of French history.

 

By: T.Pettinger 01/07/07

  References

(1) 50 Women Who Changed the World

(2) Joan of Arc Quotes from her trial

SOURCE: http://www.biographyonline.net/people/joan-of-arc.html

 

[Amadine]

5. Eva Peron 1919-1952

 

Eva Peron was widely loved by the ordinary people of Argentina. She campaigned tirelessly for both the poor and for the extension of women’s rights. At the same time she was feared by some in power for her popularity. She was also criticised for her intolerance of criticism; with her husband Juan Peron they shut down many independent newspapers. She died aged only 32 in 1952.

 

Eva Peron Biography

 

 

"I have one thing that counts, and that is my heart; it burns in my soul, it aches in my flesh, and it ignites my nerves: that is my love for the people and Peron."

- Eva Peron

 

Eva Peron is Argentina's most famous women. She inspired millions with her campaigns to help the poor and give women the right to vote. To her supporters she was a saint who strove to overcome poverty and injustice. To her detractors she was a controversial figure at the heart of Argentinian politics

Eva Peron was born in rural poverty in a town called Los Toldos. She was the illegitimate daughter of a failed land owner. Aged 15 she left her rural home to go to Buenos Aires where she hoped to pursue her theatrical career.

 

Aided by her natural beauty she gained work in the theatre. In Buenos Aires she also began campaigning for women to be given the vote and to deal with the widespread poverty endemic in Argentina.

She caught the eye of prominent politician Juan Domingo Peron and in 1945 they were married and six months later she became President Peron's first lady.

 

As president's wife she took a high profile in campaigning for issues such as women's rights and for the improvement of the descamisados (shirtless) i.e. the very poor.

 

"The nation's government has just handed me the bill that grants us our civil rights. I am receiving it before you, certain that I am accepting this on behalf of all Argentinean women, and I can feel my hands tremble with joy as they grasp the laurel proclaiming victory."

- Eva Peron

 

Her high profile, beauty and concern for the poor galvanised the nation. The dispossessed saw her as a saviour. The military and upper echelons of society saw her as a threat. They criticised her professed concern for the poor as a way to gain support for her President. Others have criticised the regime of Juan Peron for having fascist tendencies - though these remain controversial

 

Her supporters dispute these assertions of her enemies, arguing the military and political opponents were merely trying to tarnish her image.

 

In 1952 she was given the title of 'spiritual chief of the nation'. 6 months later in 1952, she died tragically young from cancer.

 

In 1955, Juan Peron was overthrown by a military coup, they took her body and had it interned in a Milanese grave under the name of a nun. They feared her legacy would provide a point of opposition to the military regime.

 

In 1973, Juan Peron returned to Argentina to begin a third term as president after the military regime were overthrown. Eva Peron's body was returned in November 1974

 

Her life was made into a hit musical - Evita by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice.

 

In 1995, Madonna starred as Evita in a high profile screen version.

 

Eva Peron remains an important symbol of emancipation, especially for women in Latin America. She was one of the first women to create a lasting political / humanitarian legacy. Cristina Fernandez, the first female elected President of Argentina, claims that women of her generation owe a debt to Eva for "her example of passion and combativeness".

 

SOURCE: http://www.biographyonline.net/politicians/american/eva-peron.html

 

 

[Amadine]

7. Mother Teresa 1910-1997

 

Devoting her life to the service of the poor and dispossessed Mother Teresa became a global icon for selfless service to others. Through her missionary of Charities organisation she personally cared for 1000s of sick and dying people in Calcutta. She was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1979.

 

Biography Mother Teresa

 

 

Mother Teresa, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, attained world wide fame for her life dedicated to serving the poor and destitute.

 

Mother Teresa was born (1910) in Akopje, Kosovo in what is now the Republic of Macedonia. Little is known about her early life but at a young age she felt a calling to serve through helping the poor. At the age of 18 she was given permission to join a group of nuns in Ireland. After a few months of training Mother Teresa travelled to Calcutta, India where she formally accepted the vows of a nun.

 

In her early years she worked as a teacher in the slums of Calcutta, the widespread poverty made a deep impression on her and this led to her starting a new order called “The Missionaries of Charity”. The primary objective of this mission was to look after people, who nobody else was prepared to. The Missionaries of Charity now has branches throughout the world including branches in the developed world where they work with the homeless and people affected with AIDS. In 1965 the Society became an International Religious Family by a decree of Pope Paul VI

 

At around this time the life of Mother Teresa was first brought to wide public attention through a book by Malcom Muggeridge who wrote a book and produced a documentary called “Something Beautiful for God”.

 

Awards - Mother Teresa

 

* The first Pope John XXIII Peace Prize. (1971)

* Kennedy Prize (1971)

* The Nehru Prize –“for promotion of international peace and understanding”(1972)

* Albert Schweitzer International Prize (1975),

* The Nobel Peace Prize (1979)

* States Presidential Medal of Freedom (1985)

* Congressional Gold Medal (1994)

* Honorary citizenship of the United States (November 16, 1996),

 

Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Prize "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitute a threat to peace." She refused the conventional ceremonial banquet given to laureates, and asked that the $6,000 funds be given to the poor in Calcutta.

 

When Mother Teresa received the prize, she was asked, "What can we do to promote world peace?" Her answer was simple: "Go home and love your family ."

 

Over the last two decades of her life Mother Teresa suffered various health problems but nothing could dissuade her from fulfilling her mission of serving the poor and needy. Until her very last illness she was active in travelling around the world to the different brances of "The Missionaries of Charity"

Following Mother Teresa’s death the Vatican began the process of beatification, which is the second step on the way to canonisation and sainthood. Mother Teresa was formally beatified in October 2003 by Pope John Paul II and is now known as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

 

Mother Teresa was a living saint who offered a great example and inspiration to the world.

 

SOURCE: http://www.biographyonline.net/nobelprize/mother_teresa.html

 

 

[Amadine]

9. Marie Curie 1867-1934

 

Marie Curie was the first women to receive the Nobel Prize and the first person to win it for 2 separate categories. Her first award was for research into radioactivity (Physics 1903). Her second Nobel prize was for Chemistry in 1911. A few years later she also helped develop the first X ray machines.

 

Marie Curie Biography

 

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Early Life Marie Curie

 

Marya Sklodovska was the youngest of 5 children, born in 1867, Warsaw Poland. She was brought up in a poor but well educated family. Marya excelled in her studies and won many prizes. At an early age she became committed to the ideal of Polish independence from Russia which was currently ruling Poland with an iron fist, and in particular making life difficult for intellectuals. She yearned to be able to teach fellow Polish woman who were mostly condemned to zero education.

 

Unusually for women at that time, Marya took an interest in Chemistry and Biology. Since opportunities in Poland for further study was limited, Marya went to Paris, where after working as a governess she was able to study at the Sorbonne, Paris. Struggling to learn in French, Marya threw herself into her studies, leading an ascetic life dedicated to studying. She went on to get a degree in Physics finish top in her school. She later got a degree in Maths, finishing second in her school year.

 

It was in Paris, that she met Pierre Curie, who was then chief of the laboratory at the school of Physics and Chemistry. He was a renowned Chemist, who had conducted many experiments on crystals and electronics. Pierre was smitten with the young Marya and asked her to marry him. The unromantic Marya initially refused, but, after persistence from Pierre she relented. The two would later become inseparable, until Pierre's untimely death.

 

Marie Curie work on Radioactivity

 

Marie pursued studies in radioactivity. In 1898, this led to the discovery of two new elements. One of which she named polonium after her home country.

 

There then followed 4 years of extensive study into the properties of radium. Using dumped uranium tailings from a nearby mine, they were very slowly, and painstakingly, able to extract a decigram of radium.

 

Radium was discovered to have remarkable impacts. Marie actually suffered burns from the rays. It was from this discovery of radium and its properties that the science of radiation was able to develop. Using the properties of radium to burn away diseased cells in the body. Initially radiotherapy was called 'currietherapy'

 

The Curries agreed to give away their secret freely; they did not wish to patent such a valuable element. The element was soon in high demand and it began industrial scale production.

 

For their discovery they were awarded the Davy Medal (Britain) and the Nobel Prize for physics in 1903.

In 1905, Pierre was killed in a road accident, leaving Marie to look after the laboratory and her 2 children.

 

In 1911 she was awarded a second Nobel prize in Chemistry for the discovery of actinium and further studies on radium and polonium.

 

The success of Marie Curie also brought considerable hostility, criticism and suspicion from a male dominated science world. She suffered from the malicious rumours and accusations that flew around.

The onset of World War I in 1914, led to Marie Curie dedicating her time to the installation of X ray machines in hospitals. Marie understood that x ray machines would easily be able to located shrapnel, enabling better treatment for soldiers. By, the end of the first world war, over a million soldiers had been examined by her X ray units.

 

At the end of the First world war she returned to the Institute of Radium in Paris, and also took great pride in serving the fledgling League of Nations. She also published a book - radioactivity which encompassed her great ideas on science.

 

Marie Currie died in 1934 from Cancer. It was an unfortunate side effect of her own groundbreaking studies into radiation which were to help so many people.

 

Marie Curie pushed back many frontiers in science; and at the same time set a new bar for female academic and scientific achievement.

 

By: Tejvan Pettinger, 28/11/2008, Oxford, UK

 

SOURCE: http://www.biographyonline.net/scientists/marie-curie.html

 

 

[Amadine]

9. Marie Curie 1867-1934

 

Marie Curie was the first women to receive the Nobel Prize and the first person to win it for 2 separate categories. Her first award was for research into radioactivity (Physics 1903). Her second Nobel prize was for Chemistry in 1911. A few years later she also helped develop the first X ray machines.

 

Marie Curie Biography

 

 

Early Life Marie Curie

 

Marya Sklodovska was the youngest of 5 children, born in 1867, Warsaw Poland. She was brought up in a poor but well educated family. Marya excelled in her studies and won many prizes. At an early age she became committed to the ideal of Polish independence from Russia which was currently ruling Poland with an iron fist, and in particular making life difficult for intellectuals. She yearned to be able to teach fellow Polish woman who were mostly condemned to zero education.

 

Unusually for women at that time, Marya took an interest in Chemistry and Biology. Since opportunities in Poland for further study was limited, Marya went to Paris, where after working as a governess she was able to study at the Sorbonne, Paris. Struggling to learn in French, Marya threw herself into her studies, leading an ascetic life dedicated to studying. She went on to get a degree in Physics finish top in her school. She later got a degree in Maths, finishing second in her school year.

 

It was in Paris, that she met Pierre Curie, who was then chief of the laboratory at the school of Physics and Chemistry. He was a renowned Chemist, who had conducted many experiments on crystals and electronics. Pierre was smitten with the young Marya and asked her to marry him. The unromantic Marya initially refused, but, after persistence from Pierre she relented. The two would later become inseparable, until Pierre's untimely death.

 

Marie Curie work on Radioactivity

 

Marie pursued studies in radioactivity. In 1898, this led to the discovery of two new elements. One of which she named polonium after her home country.

 

There then followed 4 years of extensive study into the properties of radium. Using dumped uranium tailings from a nearby mine, they were very slowly, and painstakingly, able to extract a decigram of radium.

 

Radium was discovered to have remarkable impacts. Marie actually suffered burns from the rays. It was from this discovery of radium and its properties that the science of radiation was able to develop. Using the properties of radium to burn away diseased cells in the body. Initially radiotherapy was called 'currietherapy'

 

The Curries agreed to give away their secret freely; they did not wish to patent such a valuable element. The element was soon in high demand and it began industrial scale production.

 

For their discovery they were awarded the Davy Medal (Britain) and the Nobel Prize for physics in 1903.

In 1905, Pierre was killed in a road accident, leaving Marie to look after the laboratory and her 2 children.

 

In 1911 she was awarded a second Nobel prize in Chemistry for the discovery of actinium and further studies on radium and polonium.

 

The success of Marie Curie also brought considerable hostility, criticism and suspicion from a male dominated science world. She suffered from the malicious rumours and accusations that flew around.

 

The onset of World War I in 1914, led to Marie Curie dedicating her time to the installation of X ray machines in hospitals. Marie understood that x ray machines would easily be able to located shrapnel, enabling better treatment for soldiers. By, the end of the first world war, over a million soldiers had been examined by her X ray units.

 

At the end of the First world war she returned to the Institute of Radium in Paris, and also took great pride in serving the fledgling League of Nations. She also published a book - radioactivity which encompassed her great ideas on science.

 

Marie Currie died in 1934 from Cancer. It was an unfortunate side effect of her own groundbreaking studies into radiation which were to help so many people.

 

Marie Curie pushed back many frontiers in science; and at the same time set a new bar for female academic and scientific achievement.

 

By: Tejvan Pettinger, 28/11/2008, Oxford, UK

 

SOURCE: http://www.biographyonline.net/scientists/marie-curie.html

 

 

[Amadine]

2. Elizabeth I 1533-1603

 

Queen of England during a time of great economic and social change, she saw England cemented as a Protestant country. During her reign she witnessed the defeat of the Spanish Armada leaving Britain to later become one of the world’s dominant superpowers.

 

Biography Queen Elizabeth I

 

 

Queen Elizabeth I was an influential Queen of England reigning during a time of economic, political and religious upheaval. She presided over an era of economic and political expansion, which lay the framework for Britain’s later dominance as a world power. It was Queen Elizabeth who also established the supremacy of Protestantism in England.

 

Major achievements of Queen Elizabeth I

 

 United the country in a period of suspicion between Catholics and Protestants.

 Inspired troops to defeat the Spanish Armada

 Presided over a period of cultural and literary development in England.

 

Life of Queen Elizabeth I

 

Elizabeth was born in Greenwich, England on 7th September 1533. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn was Henry’s second wife. He divorced his first wife Catherine of Aragon after she had failed to produce a male heir. Unfortunately Anne Boleyn also failed to produce a male heir and would be executed for treason when Elizabeth was only 2 years old.

 

Elizabeth was brought up at Hatfield house, Hertfordshire. Later she would be brought up in London with Catherine Parr (Henry’s sixth wife) acting as step mother. As a child Elizabeth proved to be precocious and quick to learn. She excelled in academic studies and also sports; she learnt the art of public speaking, which proved to be most significant later in her reign.

 

Following the death of Henry VIII and his only son Edward, there was uncertainty about who would inherit the throne. For 9 days a cousin of Edward, Lady Jane Grey was made queen before being disposed and then executed by Mary I. Mary’s reign was unpopular as she sought to revert England to Catholicism.

 

Her popularity was further weakened by her distant marriage to Phillip of Spain. At one time Elizabeth’s life was in danger and Mary I had her half sister arrested and kept in the Tower of London. However Elizabeth was able to convince Mary she posed no threat to her throne and eventually Mary came to trust the protestant Elizabeth and named her successor to the throne.

 

In 1558 Mary died leaving Elizabeth as queen. Despite Mary exhorting her to retain the Catholic faith, Elizabeth ignored her wish, and she re-established Protestantism as the faith of England. However Elizabeth wished to avoid the religious extremes of Mary and Edward’s reign and she sought to allow people to practise their religion of choice in private. However, later in her reign, it was alleged Catholic plotters were seeking to kill the Queen. As a consequence laws against Catholics were tightened. One figure head for the potential Catholic rebellion was Mary Queen of Scots. As a sign of her real perceived threat, Elizabeth eventually agreed to her capture and later execution (in 1587.)

 

As a consequence of Mary’s execution Catholic opposition to England grew. In particular Phillip II of Spain was determined to return Catholicism to England. There was a real threat of a Spanish invasion and in September, 1588 the powerful Spanish Armada set sail for England; threatening to make invasion a reality. Threatened with potential invasion Queen Elizabeth showed her real strength as a leader. She personally visited the troops at Tilbury and gave a famous speech. Her words included:

 

“I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too.”

 

Her speech was enthusiastically greeted by her troops. The subsequent defeat of the heavily fortified Spanish Armada was greeted as a triumph for England and in particular Queen Elizabeth. Her personal popularity reached an all time high. It is said she was an early skilled operator of PR. She often met her subjects in person; by being highly visible she made the monarchy accessible and popular as never before. Towards the end of her reign she is reported to have said.

 

”This I account the glory of my crown, that I have reigned with your loves”.

 

She had many important skills as both Queen and statesman. She was quick witted, intelligent and articulate. She surrounded herself with skilled advisors and defused many potential crises. However she was also criticised for being at times both ruthless and indecisive. Several political opponents were executed for treason, although in comparison to her father Henry VIII her reign was comparatively enlightened.

 

Throughout her life she remained unmarried, despite the frequent attempts of parliament to persuade her to provide a heir. However despite many relationships with members of the court Elizabeth never gave any indication she wished to marry. For this reason she was often referred to as the “virgin queen”. However her lack of direct heir meant she was the last of the Tudor monarchs. After her death the Crown passed to James I

 

SOURCE: http://www.biographyonline.net/royalty/elizabeth/queen-elizabeth-I.html

 

[Amadine]

3. Florence Nightingale 1820-1910

 

By serving in the Crimean war Florence Nightingale was instrumental in changing the role and perception of the nursing profession. Her dedicated service won widespread admiration and led to a significant improvement in the treatment of wounded soldiers.

 

Florence Nightingale Biography

 

 

Born in 1820 to a wealthy family. Florence was educated at home by her father. She aspired to serve others, in particular she wanted to become a nurse. Her parents were opposed - at that time, nursing was not seen as an attractive or 'respectable' profession. Despite her parents disapproval, Florence went ahead and trained to be a nurse. Florence later wrote that she felt suffocated by the vanities and social expectations of the upbringing, but, on one occasion sitting in the garden she felt a call from God. She resolved to try and follow God’s will in serving others.

 

Florence had the opportunity to marry, but, she refused a couple of suitors. She felt marriage would enslave her in domestic responsibilities.

 

In 1853, the Crimera war broke out. This was a bloody conflict leading to many casualties on both sides. Reports of the British casualties were reported in the press; in particular it was noted that the wounded lacked even the most basic of first aid treatment. Many soldiers were dying unnecessarily. This was a shock to the British public as it was one of the first wars to be reported vividly in the press back home. Later in 1855, Florence Nightingale was asked (with the help of her old friend Sydney Herbert) to travel to the Crimea and organise a group of nurses. Many of the initial applicants were unsuitable and Florence was strict in selecting and training the other nurses.

 

Florence was very glad to be able to take up the post and put into use her training as a nurse. They were based at the staff hospital at Scutari. She was overwhelmed by the primitive and chaotic conditions. There were insufficient beds for the men and conditions were terrible; the place smelt, was dirty and even had rats running around spreading disease. Speaking of Scutari hospital, Florence Nightingale, said

 

"The British high command had succeeded in creating the nearest thing to hell on earth."

 

In the beginning, the nurses were not even allowed to treat the dying men, they were only instructed to clean the hospital. But, eventually the number of casualties became so overwhelming the doctors asked Florence and her team of nurses to help.

 

Florence's attitude included strict discipline for her other nurses, who always wore a highly visible uniform. The efforts of Florence and her team of nurses were greatly appreciated by the wounded soldiers and gradually positive news reports filtered back home, retelling their service.

By the time she returned home she had become a national heroine and was decorated with numerous awards including one from Queen Victoria.

 

After the war, she didn't really appreciate the fame, but, continued to work for the improvement of hospital conditions, writing to influential people encouraging them to improve hygiene standards in hospitals. She also founded a training school for nurses at St Thomas's hospital, London.

Florence Nightingale died at the age of 90 in 1910.

 

Another nurse who gained a strong reputation at the time of the Crimean War was Jamaican nurse, Mary Seacole. Florence Nightingale didn't accept her offer of services when she came to the Crimea. But, Mary worked on her own initiative from a base in Balaclava near the front line. Her reputation amongst British officers was as strong as the reputation of Florence Nightingale. But, it was Florence Nightingale who remained in the public consciousness in the twentieth century.

 

Tejvan R.Pettinger 25/01/2010

 

SOURCE: http://www.biographyonline.net/humanitarian/florence-nightingale.html

 

[Amadine]

4. Emmeline Pankhurst 1858-1928

 

A British suffragette, Emily Pankhurst dedicated her life to the promotion of women’s rights. She explored all avenues of protest including violence, public demonstrations and hunger strikes. She died in 1928, 3 weeks before a law giving all women over 21 the right to vote.

 

Emily Pankhurst Biography

 

 

Emily Pankhurst was born in Manchester in 1858. Her family had a tradition of radical politics and she stepped into that mould becoming a passionate campaigner for women's right to vote.

 

She married Richard Pankhurst who supported the women's suffrage movement and his death in 1898, was a great shock to Emily.

 

After his death, she threw herself into the women's suffrage movement forming the Women's Franchise league in 1898. In 1903 she formed the more militant Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) It was through the WSPU that the political action gained the group the term women's suffragette movement. She led a passionate group of women who were willing to take part in drastic action such as tying to railings, smashing windows and launching demonstrations.

 

The government and establishment were somewhat shocked at the tactics of the women and many were arrested. When they went on hunger strike they were force fed or released only to be rearrested - something known as cat and mouse.

 

Before, the First World War, the women's suffrage movement gained increased exposure polarising public opinion. It was in 1913 that Emily Davison was killed when throwing herself under the King's horse. However, at the outbreak of war in 1914, Emily Pankhurst used her campaigning tactics to support the war effort - announcing a temporary truce in the women's suffrage campaign.

 

In the war effort women were drafted into factories and took on many jobs previously the preserver of men such as bus drivers and postmen. The radical social change of the first world war helped to diminish the opposition to women getting the vote and in 1918, women over the age of 30 were given the vote.

 

In 1929, the voting age for women was reduced to the same age as men.

 

Emily died shortly after her life's goal was achieved.

 

SOURCE: http://www.biographyonline.net/politicians/uk/emily-pankhurst.html

 

 

[Amadine]

6. Rosa Parks 1913-2005

 

Rosa Parks refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man indirectly led to some of the most significant civil rights legislation of American history. She sought to play down her role in the civil rights struggle but for her peaceful and dignified campaigning she became one of the most well respected figures in the civil rights movements.

 

Biography Rosa Parks

 

 

Rosa Parks is fingerprinted by Deputy Sherriff Lackey in Montgomery on February 22 in 1956 two months after refusing to give up her seat on a bus for a white passenger.

 

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an African American civil rights activist and seamstress whom the U.S. Congress dubbed the "Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement".

 

Parks is famous for her refusal on December 1, 1955 to obey bus driver James Blake's demand that she relinquish her seat to a white man. Her subsequent arrest and trial for this act of civil disobedience triggered the Montgomery Bus Boycott, one of the largest and most successful mass movements against racial segregation in history, and launched Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the organizers of the boycott, to the forefront of the civil rights movement. Her role in American history earned her an iconic status in American culture, and her actions have left an enduring legacy for civil rights movements around the world.

 

Montgomery Bus Boycott

 

After a day at work at Montgomery Fair department store, Parks boarded the Cleveland Avenue bus at around 6 p.m., Thursday, December 1, 1955, in downtown Montgomery. She paid her fare and sat in an empty seat in the first row of back seats reserved for blacks in the "colored" section, which was near the middle of the bus and directly behind the ten seats reserved for white passengers. Initially, she had not noticed that the bus driver was the same man, James F. Blake, who had left her in the rain in 1943. As the bus travelled along its regular route, all of the white-only seats in the bus filled up. The bus reached the third stop in front of the Empire Theatre, and several white passengers boarded.

 

In 1900, Montgomery had passed a city ordinance for the purpose of segregating passengers by race. Conductors were given the power to assign seats to accomplish that purpose; however, no passengers would be required to move or give up their seat and stand if the bus was crowded and no other seats were available. Over time and by custom, however, Montgomery bus drivers had adopted the practice of requiring black riders to move whenever there were no white only seats left.

 

So, following standard practice, bus driver Blake noted that the front of the bus was filled with white passengers and there were two or three men standing, and thus moved the "colored" section sign behind Parks and demanded that four black people give up their seats in the middle section so that the white passengers could sit. Years later, in recalling the events of the day, Parks said,

 

"When that white driver stepped back toward us, when he waved his hand and ordered us up and out of our seats, I felt a determination cover my body like a quilt on a winter night."

 

By Parks' account, Blake said, "Y'all better make it light on yourselves and let me have those seats." Three of them complied. Parks said, "The driver wanted us to stand up, the four of us. We didn't move at the beginning, but he says, 'Let me have these seats.' And the other three people moved, but I didn't." The black man sitting next to her gave up his seat. Parks moved, but toward the window seat; she did not get up to move to the newly repositioned colored section. Blake then said, "Why don't you stand up?" Parks responded, "I don't think I should have to stand up." Blake called the police to arrest Parks. When recalling the incident for Eyes on the Prize, a 1987 public television series on the Civil Rights Movement, Parks said, "When he saw me still sitting, he asked if I was going to stand up, and I said, 'No, I'm not.' And he said, 'Well, if you don't stand up, I'm going to have to call the police and have you arrested.' I said, 'You may do that.'"

 

During a 1956 radio interview with Sydney Rogers in West Oakland several months after her arrest, when asked why she had decided not to vacate her bus seat, Parks said, "I would have to know for once and for all what rights I had as a human being and a citizen of Montgomery, Alabama."

 

She also detailed her motivation in her autobiography, My Story

 

“ People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in. ”

 

When Parks refused to give up her seat, a police officer arrested her. As the officer took her away, she recalled that she asked, "Why do you push us around?" The officer's response as she remembered it was, "I don't know, but the law's the law, and you're under arrest." She later said, "I only knew that, as I was being arrested, that it was the very last time that I would ever ride in humiliation of this kind."

 

Parks was charged with a violation of Chapter 6, Section 11 segregation law of the Montgomery City code, even though she technically had not taken up a white-only seat—she had been in a colored section. E.D. Nixon and Clifford Durr bailed Parks out of jail the evening of December 1.

 

That evening, Nixon conferred with Alabama State College professor Jo Ann Robinson about Parks' case. Robinson, a member of the Women's Political Council (WPC), stayed up all night mimeographing over 35,000 handbills announcing a bus boycott. The Women's Political Council was the first group to officially endorse the boycott.

 

On Sunday, December 4, 1955, plans for the Montgomery Bus Boycott were announced at black churches in the area, and a front-page article in The Montgomery Advertiser helped spread the word. At a church rally that night, attendees unanimously agreed to continue the boycott until they were treated with the level of courtesy they expected, until black drivers were hired, and until seating in the middle of the bus was handled on a first-come basis.

 

Four days later, Parks was tried on charges of disorderly conduct and violating a local ordinance. The trial lasted 30 minutes. Parks was found guilty and fined $10, plus $4 in court costs. Parks appealed her conviction and formally challenged the legality of racial segregation. In a 1992 interview with National Public Radio's Lynn Neary, Parks recalled:

 

“ I did not want to be mistreated, I did not want to be deprived of a seat that I had paid for. It was just time... there was opportunity for me to take a stand to express the way I felt about being treated in that manner. I had not planned to get arrested. I had plenty to do without having to end up in jail. But when I had to face that decision, I didn't hesitate to do so because I felt that we had endured that too long. The more we gave in, the more we complied with that kind of treatment, the more oppressive it became. ”

 

On Monday, December 5, 1955, after the success of the one-day boycott, a group of 16 to 18 people gathered at the Mt. Zion AME Zion Church to discuss boycott strategies. The group agreed that a new organization was needed to lead the boycott effort if it were to continue. Rev. Ralph David Abernathy suggested the name "Montgomery Improvement Association" (MIA). The name was adopted, and the MIA was formed. Its members elected as their president a relative newcomer to Montgomery, a young and mostly unknown minister of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

That Monday night, 50 leaders of the African American community gathered to discuss the proper actions to be taken in response to Parks' arrest. E.D. Nixon said, "My God, look what segregation has put in my hands!" Parks was the ideal plaintiff for a test case against city and state segregation laws. While the 15-year-old Claudette Colvin, unwed and pregnant, had been deemed unacceptable to be the centre of a civil rights mobilization, King stated that, "Mrs. Parks, on the other hand, was regarded as one of the finest citizens of Montgomery—not one of the finest Negro citizens, but one of the finest citizens of Montgomery." Parks was securely married and employed, possessed a quiet and dignified demeanour, and was politically savvy.

 

The day of Parks' trial — Monday, December 5, 1955 — the WPC distributed the 35,000 leaflets. The handbill read, "We are…asking every Negro to stay off the buses Monday in protest of the arrest and trial . . . You can afford to stay out of school for one day. If you work, take a cab, or walk. But please, children and grown-ups, don't ride the bus at all on Monday. Please stay off the buses Monday."

 

It rained that day, but the black community persevered in their boycott. Some rode in carpools, while others travelled in black-operated cabs that charged the same fare as the bus, 10 cents. Most of the remainder of the 40,000 black commuters walked, some as far as 20 miles. In the end, the boycott lasted for 382 days. Dozens of public buses stood idle for months, severely damaging the bus transit company's finances, until the law requiring segregation on public buses was lifted.

 

Some segregationists retaliated with terrorism. Black churches were burned or dynamited. Martin Luther King's home was bombed in the early morning hours of January 30, 1956, and E.D. Nixon's home was also attacked. However, the black community's bus boycott marked one of the largest and most successful mass movements against racial segregation. It sparked many other protests, and it catapulted King to the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement.

 

Through her role in sparking the boycott, Rosa Parks played an important part in internationalizing the awareness of the plight of African Americans and the civil rights struggle. King wrote in his 1958 book Stride Toward Freedom that Parks' arrest was the precipitating factor, rather than the cause, of the protest: "The cause lay deep in the record of similar injustices…. Actually, no one can understand the action of Mrs. Parks unless he realizes that eventually the cup of endurance runs over, and the human personality cries out, 'I can take it no longer.'"

 

The Montgomery bus boycott was also the inspiration for the bus boycott in the township of Alexandria, Eastern Cape of South Africa which was one of the key events in the radicalization of the black majority of that country under the leadership of the African National Congress.

 

Death and funeral

 

Rosa Parks resided in Detroit until she died at the age of ninety-two on October 24, 2005, about 19:00 EDT, in her apartment on the east side of the city. She had been diagnosed the previous year with progressive dementia.

 

City officials in Montgomery and Detroit announced on October 27 that the front seats of their city buses would be reserved with black ribbons in honour of Parks until her funeral. Parks' coffin was flown to Montgomery and taken in a horse-drawn hearse to the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church, where she lay in repose at the altar, dressed in the uniform of a church deaconess, on October 29. A memorial service was held there the following morning, and one of the speakers, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said that if it had not been for Rosa Parks, she would probably have never become the Secretary of State. In the evening the casket was transported to Washington, D.C., and taken, aboard a bus similar to the one in which she made her protest, to lie in honour in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda (making her the first woman and second African American ever to receive this honour).

 

An estimated 50,000 people viewed the casket there, and the event was broadcast on television on

October 31. This was followed by another memorial service at a different St. Paul AME church in Washington on the afternoon of October 31. For two days, she lay in repose at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit.

 

Parks' funeral service, seven hours long, was held on Wednesday, November 2, at the Greater Grace Temple Church. After the funeral service, an honour guard from the Michigan National Guard laid the U.S. flag over the casket and carried it to a horse-drawn hearse, which had been intended to carry it, in daylight, to the cemetery. As the hearse passed the thousands of people who had turned out to view the procession, many clapped and released white balloons. Rosa was interred between her husband and mother at Detroit's Woodlawn Cemetery in the chapel's mausoleum. (The chapel was renamed the Rosa L. Parks Freedom Chapel just after her death.) Parks had previously prepared and placed a headstone on the selected location with the inscription "Rosa L. Parks, wife, 1913–".

 

SOURCE: http://www.biographyonline.net/humanitarian/rosa-parks.html

 

 

[Amadine]

8. Mirabai 1498-1565

 

Born to a privileged Hindu family Mirabai broke with the conventions of society to live the life of a mystic and devotee of Krishna. For her unconventional lifestyle her family tried to kill her, but on each occasion were unsuccessful. Her bhajans and songs helped revitalise Devotional Hinduism in India.

 

Mirabai Biography

 

 

Mirabai was a great saint and devotee of Sri Krishna. Despite facing criticism and hostility from her own family, she lived an exemplary saintly life and composed many devotional bhajans. Historical information about the life of Mirabai is a matter of some scholarly debate. The oldest biographical account was Priyadas’s commentary in Nabhadas’ Sri Bhaktammal in 1712. Nevertheless there are many aural histories, which give an insight into this unique poet and Saint of India.

 

Early Life Mirabai

 

Mira was born around the start of the 16th Century in the Chaukari village in Merta, Rajasthan. Her father was Ratan Singh a descendent of Rao Rathor, the founder of Jodhpur. When Mirabai was only 3 years old, a wandering Sadhu came to her family’s home and gave a doll of Sri Krishna to her father. Her father took this is as a special blessing, but was initially unwilling to give it to her daughter, because she felt she would not appreciate it. However Mira had, at first sight, become deeply enamoured with this doll. She refused to eat until the doll of Sri Krishna was given to her. To Mira, this figure of Sri Krishna, embodied his living presence. She resolved to make Krishna her lifelong friend, lover, and husband. Throughout her turbulent life she never wavered from her youthful commitment.

 

On one occasion when Mira was still young she saw a wedding procession going down the street. Turning to her mother she asked in innocence, “Who will be my husband?” Her mother replied, half in jest, half in seriousness. “You already have your husband, Sri Krishna.” Mira’s mother was supportive of her daughter’s blossoming religious tendencies, but she passed away when she was only young.

 

At an early age Mira’s father arranged for her to be married to Prince Bhoj Raj, who  was the eldest son of Rana Sanga of Chittor. They were an influential Hindu family and the marriage significantly elevated Mira’s social position. However Mira was not enamoured of the luxuries of the palace. She served her husband dutifully, but in the evening she would spend her time in devotion and singing to her beloved Sri Krishna. Whilst singing devotional bhajans, she would frequently lose awareness of the world, entering into states of ecstasy and trance.

 

Go to that impenetrable realm

That death himself trembles to look upon.

There plays the fountain of love

With swans sporting on its waters.

(1) Go To That Impenetrable Realm

 

Conflict with Family

 

However her new family did not approve of her piety and devotion to Krishna. To make things worse Mira refused to worship their family deity Durga. She said she had already committed herself to Sri Krishna. Her family became increasingly disproving of her actions, but the fame and saintly reputation of Mirabai spread throughout the region. Often she would spend time discussing spiritual issues with Sadhus and people would join in the singing of her bhajans. However this just made her family even more jealous. Mira’s sister-in-law Udabai started to spread false gossip and defamatory remarks about Mirabai. She said Mira was entertaining men in her room. Her husband, believing these stories to be true, tore into her room with sword in hand. However he saw Mira only playing with a doll. No man was there at all. Yet throughout these hysterical slanders Mirabai remained unmoved by both the criticism and praise of the world.

 

This infamy, O my Prince

is delicious!

Some revile me,

others applaud,

I simply follow my incomprehensible road

A razor thin path

but you meet some good people,

A terrible path but you hear a true word

Turn back?

Because the wretched stare and see nothing?

O Mira's Lord is noble and dark,

and slanderers

rake only themselves

over the coals

(2)

 

Mirabai and Akbar

 

Mira’s fame spread far and wide her devotional bhajans were sung across northern India. It is said that the fame and spirituality of Mirabai reached the ears of the Moghul Emperor Akbar. Akbar was tremendously powerful, but he was also very interested in different religious paths. The problem was that he and Mirabai’s family were the worst enemies; to visit Mirabai would cause problems for both him and Mirabai. But Akbar was determined to see Mirabai, the Princess – Saint. Disguised in the clothes of beggars he travelled with Tansen to visit Mirabai. Akbar was so enamoured of her soulful music and devotional singing, that he placed at her feet a priceless necklace before leaving. However in the course of time Akbar’s visit came to the ears of her husband Bhoj Raj. He was furious that a Muslim and his own arch enemy and set eyes upon his wife. He ordered Mirabai to commit suicide by drowning in a river. Mirabai intended to honour her husband’s command, but as she was entering the river Sri Krishna appeared to her and commanded her to leave for Brindaban where she could worship him in peace. So with a few followers, Mirabai left for Brindaban, where she spent her time in devotion to Sri Krishna. After a while her husband became repentant, feeling that her wife was actually a real saint. Thus he travelled to Brindaban and requested her to return. Mirabai agreed, much to the displeasure of the rest of her family.

 

However soon after Mira’s husband died;( fighting in battles with the Moghul emperors). This made the situation even worse for Mirabai. Her father in law, Rana Sanga, saw her husband’s death as a way to be rid of Mirabai. He commanded her to commit Sati. However Mirabai, with the inner direct assurance of her beloved Sri Krishna, said that she would not do this. Her real husband, Sri Krishna had not died. She would later say in her poetry.

 

"sati na hosyan girdhar gansyan mhara man moho ghananami",

"I will not commit sati.

I will sing the songs of Girdhar Krishna,

and will not become sati because my heart is enamoured of Hari."

(3)

 

After this experience her family continued to torture her. They restricted her movements and sought to make her life as uncomfortable as possible. Yet in the face of all these trials and tribulation she remained detached from her physical suffering. There was nothing that could disturb her inner connection to Giridhara (epithet of Sri Krishna as young cowherd boy). It is said that twice her family tried to kill her, once through a venomous snake and once through poisonous drink. On both occasions it is said Mirabai, protected by the Grace of Sri Krishna, came to no ill harm.

 

Mirabai in Brindaban

 

However the relentless torments and hostility interfered with her life of devotion and contemplation on Krishna. She sought the advice of learned men and Saints. They advised her to leave the palace and return to Brindaban. Secretly with some followers she slipped out of the palace and escaped to the holy city of Brindaban. In Brindaban Mirabai was free to worship Giridhara to her heart’s content. She would spend her time in singing bhajans and in ecstatic communion with Krishna. Like a true Bhakti she worshipped God wholeheartedly. The riches of the world offered no attraction to Mirabai; her only satisfaction came from her single minded devotion  to Sri Krishna. Her soul was ever yearning for Krishna. She considered herself to be a Gopi of Vrindaban, mad only with pure love for Krishna.

 

I am mad with love

And no one understands my plight.

Only the wounded

Understand the agonies of the wounded,

When the fire rages in the heart.

Only the jeweller knows the value of the jewel, i

Not the one who lets it go.

In pain I wander from door to door,

But could not find a doctor.

Says Mira: Harken, my Master,

Mira's pain will subside

When Shyam comes as the doctor.

(4) I am Mad

 

Her devotion and spiritual magnetism were infectious. She inspired many to follow the path of Vaishnavism. As Swami Sivananda stated:

 

“Mira wafted the fragrance of devotion far and wide. Those who came in contact with her were affected by her strong current of Prem. Mira was like Lord Gauranga. She was an embodiment of love and innocence. Her heart was the temple of devotion. Her face was the lotus-flower of Prem. There was kindness in her look, love in her talk, joy in her discourses, power in her speech and fervour in her songs.” (5)

 

Even learned Sadhus would come to her for inspiration. There is a story of one respected Spiritual Master, who refused to speak to Mirabai because she was a woman. Mirabai replied there was only 1 real man in Brindaban, Sri Krishna; everyone else was a Gopi of Krishna. On hearing this, the Spiritual teacher accepted the wisdom of Mirabai and agreed to talk to her. Later Mirabai would become his student.

 

Poems of Mirabai

 

Much of what we know about Mirabai comes from her poetry. Her poetry expresses the longing and seeking of her soul for union with Sri Krishna. At time she expresses the pain of separation and at other times the ecstasy of divine union. Her devotional poems were designed to be sung as bhajans and many are still sung today.

 

“Mira’s songs infuse faith, courage, devotion and love of God in the minds of the readers. They inspire the aspirants to take to the path of devotion and they produce in them a marvellous thrill and a melting of the heart.” (6)

 

Mirabai was a devotee of the highest order. She was immune to the criticism and suffering of the world. She was born a princess but forsook the pleasures of a palace for begging on the streets of Brindaban. She lived during a time of war and spiritual decline, but her life offered a shining example of the purest devotion.  Many were inspired by her infectious devotion and spontaneous love for Sri Krishna. Mirabai showed how a seeker could attain union with God, only through love. Her only message was that Krishna was her all.

 

My Beloved dwells in my heart,

I have actually seen that Abode of Joy.

Mira's Lord is Hari, the Indestructible.

My Lord, I have taken refuge with Thee,

Thy slave.

(7) That Dark Dweller

 

It is said in her death she melted into the heart of Krishna. Tradition relates how one day she was singing in a temple, when Sri Krishna appeared in his subtle form. Sri Krishna was so pleased with his dearest devotee. He opened up his heart centre and Mirabai entered leaving her body whilst in the highest state of Krishna consciousness. (8)

 

Sri Chinmoy says of Mirabai

 

“Mirabai was a devotee of the high, higher, highest order. Among the saints of India, she is absolutely unparalleled. She composed many, many bhajans, which are prayerful songs to God. Each song Mirabai wrote expressed her inspiration, aspiration and sleepless self-giving" (9)

 

By: Tejvan Pettinger

 

SOURCE: http://www.biographyonline.net/spiritual/mirabai.html

 

 

[Amadine]

10. Indira Gandhi 1917-1984

 

First female prime minister of India. She was in power from between 1966-77 and 1980-84. Accused of authoritarian tendencies she only narrowly avoided a military coup by agreeing to hold an election at the end of the “emergency period” of 1977. She was assassinated in 1984 by her Sikh bodyguards. He murder was in response to her decision to storm the Sikh golden temple, which left many innocent Sikh pilgrims dead.

 

Indira Gandhi Biography

 

 

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi née: Nehru; 19 November 1917 - 31 October 1984) was the Prime Minister of the Republic of India for three consecutive terms from 1966 to 1977 and for a fourth term from 1980 until her assassination in 1984, a total of fifteen years. She was India's first and, to date, only female Prime Minister.

 

In 1999, she was voted the greatest woman of the past 1000 years in a poll carried by BBC news, ahead of other notable women such as Queen Elizabeth I of England, Marie Curie and Mother Teresa.

 

Born in the politically influential Nehru dynasty, she grew up in an intensely political atmosphere. Despite the same last name, she was of no relation to the statesman Mohandas Gandhi. Her grandfather, Motilal Nehru, was a prominent Indian nationalist leader. Her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, was a pivotal figure in the Indian independence movement and the first Prime Minister of Independent India. Returning to India from Oxford in 1941, she became involved in the Indian Independence movement.

 

In the 1950s, she served her father unofficially as a personal assistant during his tenure as the first Prime Minister of India. After her father's death in 1964, she was appointed as a member of the Rajya Sabha by the President of India and became a member of Lal Bahadur Shastri's cabinet as Minister of Information and Broadcasting.

 

The then Congress Party President K. Kamaraj was instrumental in making Indira Gandhi the Prime Minister after the sudden demise of Shastri. Gandhi soon showed an ability to win elections and outmanoeuvre opponents through populism. She introduced more left-wing economic policies and promoted agricultural productivity. A decisive victory in the 1971 war with Pakistan was followed by a period of instability that led her to impose a state of emergency in 1975; she paid for the authoritarian excesses of the period with three years in opposition. Returned to office in 1980, she became increasingly involved in an escalating conflict with separatists in Punjab that eventually led to her assassination by her own bodyguards in 1984.

 

SOURCE: http://www.biographyonline.net/politicians/indian/indira-gandhi.html

 

[Mystica]

Amadine, this has been one hell of an interesting activity and thread to read up on. Fantastic job and thank you so much for doing this. ;D

 

*snugglebites up and down for a week* ;D ;D

[Elgee]

You did a great job, Amadine! I've thoroughly enjoyed it, and learned a lot too! *Elbows Myst out the way to get a snugglebite in too*  :D

[Minuet]

This was awesome to learn about all these women. It is important that we continue to remember then and what they did to make our lives better.

[Amadine]

*is snugglebitten* Thanks ladies *curtseys* i really enjoyed reading through the site where i got all the information, some of these ladies i knew the names of but not the significance. I learned a lot during this game too. :)

[Minuet]

Which is always good. We all learned some valuable stuff about some really strong women who need us to remember them.

[Talya]

That was awesome Amadine, thank you fo doing this and sharing with us all. I think we all learnt something